BOOKS

Robert P. Watson's groundbreaking study on the presidents' wives proved that the first lady can be an influential force in presidential politics and is a subject worthy of scholarly attention. Now, this fully revised second edition incorporates the first ladyships of Hillary Rodham Clinton, Laura Bush, and Michelle Obama in each chapter. The new edition also includes a decade-and-a-half of More >

Though recent US government attention to global women's rights and empowerment is often presented as a new phenomenon, Karen Garner argues that nearly two decades ago the Clinton administration broke barriers to challenge women's unequal status vis-à-vis men around the world and to incorporate their needs into US foreign policy and aid programs.
Garner draws on a wide range of More >

What unique challenges do women face as they seek and attain high-ranking positions in the executive branches of government? How can these challenges be overcome? Is there an established "pipeline" to office, or must women find their own ways to achieve power? Is there any relationship between gender and job performance? Addressing these questions, the authors of Women and Executive More >

Since 1916, when the first woman was elected to the US Congress, fewer than 10 percent of all members have been women. Why is this number so extraordinarily small? And how has the presence of women in the electoral arena changed over the past hundred years? Barbara Palmer and Dennis Simon combine a rich analytical narrative, data on nearly 40,000 candidates, and colorful stories from the campaign More >

Elusive Equality explores how government institutions—the executive branch, the federal courts, Congress, and state legislatures—affect the legal status of women.
In this fully revised and updated edition, Susan Gluck Mezey traces the evolving legal parameters of gender equality from early court rulings through the most recent legislation and judicial decisions. She also examines More >

Claudia Jones: Beyond Containment brings together for the first time the essays, poetry, and autobiographical and other writings of cultural activist Claudia Jones (1915-1964). What is revealed is the voice of a woman who was both politically savvy and brilliant—a feminist with radical ideas that will resonate with today's readers interested in community empowerment and black More >

In this wide-ranging text, Lori Cox Han explores whether—and if so, how—the presence of women on the center stage of US politics is changing the political process. Han first provides a solid context, thoroughly covering the history of the women's movement, suffrage, the contours of feminism, and issues of equality. She then turns to women as voters, activists, candidates, More >

Senator Hillary Clinton won 18 million votes in 2008—nearly twice that of any presidential contender in recent history—yet she failed to secure the Democratic nomination.
In this compelling look at Clinton’s historic candidacy, Regina Lawrence and Melody Rose explore how she came so close to breaking the ultimate glass ceiling in US politics, why she fell short, and what her More >

This wide-ranging study grapples with the increasingly complex array of opportunities and challenges that face women today as both legislative candidates and elected officials.
Offering cutting-edge, original research, Legislative Women expands our knowledge on an array of critical topics. The contributors address everything from campaign finance to the significance of race and ethnicity, from More >

From the news room to pop culture, all signs suggest that the United States is finally ready for a woman in the White House. But is the vision of an imminent Madam President truly in line with today's political reality? Rethinking Madam President offers a critical assessment of the inroads made by female candidates into the previously male bastion of electoral success, exploring More >

Seldom do we notice, let alone explicitly acknowledge, that public policies set distinct parameters for gender. But as Creating Gender compellingly demonstrates, in reality governments do use policy—to legitimize and support some gender-based behaviors, while undermining others.
Looking in depth at the case of welfare reform, but considering a wide range of policy arenas, the More >

Despite legal affirmations of women's rights to abortion, actual access to the procedure in North America is increasingly curtailed. Melissa Haussman analyzes this disturbing disparity between official policies and daily realities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Haussman examines the successes of US antichoice groups—groups that have extended their reach to effectively contest More >

The Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues (CCWI) was the most effective bipartisan organization in the House—until changes wrought by the "Republican revolution" of 1994 threatened its very survival. Irwin Gertzog analyzes the origin, development, and influence of the CCWI and explores how the women associated with it have emerged from near oblivion to reassert their role in More >

Madam President? The question is not if, but rather when the United States will elect a female president—but that may be the only certainty involved in shattering this most visible glass ceiling in U.S. society.
Who will be included in the field of candidates for Madam President, and why? How will she have to position herself for a viable run at the Oval Office? Once in office, will More >

Are female office holders most acceptable when they most resemble men? Why has a woman never led the Department of the Treasury, or Defense, or Veterans Affairs? Reflecting on these and similar questions, MaryAnne Borrelli explores women's selection for—and exclusion from—U.S. cabinet positions.
Borrelli considers how the rhetoric employed in the selection and confirmation More >

Judith Baer presents a comprehensive and provocative account of women's legal status in the contemporary US. The third edition features new discussions on constitutional law, sexual harassment, child custody, advances in reproductive technology, the impact of "new federalism" in the Supreme Court, and the effects of war and recession on women’s status.
More >

The Other Elites features original essays that provide important insights for both presidential studies and the study of women in US politics.
The contributors to this innovative book have two purposes: to study the career paths of women within the executive branch of US government, and to consider gender as a variable in the study of complex organizations. Using historical, comparative, More >

Though women constitute 52 percent of U.S. voters, as of October, 1996 only 10 percent of the members of Congress and one of the 50 state governors are women. Why, more than 75 years after they won the right to vote, are women so severely underrepresented in elected office? Why does it seem that, as voters, their influence is not equal to their numbers? Much of the conventional wisdom and More >